Generator Rex: Sidebar
by YellowAngela
Summary: Do you really like the minor characters in Generator Rex? These are one or two shots of the supporting cast of GenRex. Here are their stories and their adventures with or without our main characters.
1. Chapter 1

**So I was thinking of doing one-shots of the other characters but I'm a little hesitant because it's one of those things that can go on indefinitely. I would prefer stories to have a beginning and an end. But some of you are asking for stories about the minor characters like the Hong Kong Gang (looking at you getitwrite12). But I'm going to start with this story that kinda popped into my head one day.**

 **I do not own.**

 _ **Takes place right before the events of Wingman.**_

"Wow, is this the list of all the guys who asked you to the prom?" Annie peered at the notebook in Claire's hand.

"Yeah, three more than the last dance." She sighed.

"So who are you going to go with?" Annie asked.

"I don't know." Claire shrugged. "But they're all the same. They only have one thing on their minds…"

"Basketball?" Annie asked innocently. Claire gave her a funny look. "I'm just kidding." Annie laughed before spotting someone. "Oh, excuse me. I have to talk to someone." She got up so quickly from her seat that she bumped someone behind her. His head flew into his mash potatoes. "Oops Sorry." Annie apologized before running to catch up with a boy. Claire watched as Annie walked over to a classmate of theirs from gym class. She couldn't hear the conversation but the boy kept nervously backing away. Annie came a little too close. The boy took another step back… into a cart full of trays. The cart moved and the trays toppled over on him.

Annie moved to help him but the boy cried, "No, get away from me, please!"

Annie stood stunned before running off.

Claire narrowed her eyes. She quickly went to find her friend.

0o0

After searching the whole school, Claire finally found Annie.

"Annie? Are you in here?" Claire asked hesitantly into the girl's bathroom.

There was a sniffle before a voice replied, "No."

"Come on Annie, what's wrong?" Claire walked in the room.

One of the bathroom stalls opened. Annie sat on the toilet with a wad of tissues in her hand. "You know what… No one wants to go with me to the Junior Prom." She blew her nose.

Claire stood in the doorway. "Oh honey, the prom's still weeks away. I'm sure someone…"

"No!" Annie said emphatically. "People think I can't hear them when they talk. I know they call me the blonde widow."

"That's because they're jealous." Claire snapped.

"They're right. I mean none of my dates ever come out right… there was Bobby, Kenny, Johnny… You know there were a lot of names that end in e's." Annie paused.

"Right, so we just have to avoid anyone whose name ends in the e sound." Claire said jokingly.

"It's no use. With my reputation, who's going to want to take a chance? I mean the last guy ended up in a coma." Annie said mournfully.

"But he woke up." Claire reminded her.

"Eventually... last week." Annie agreed.

"Well, if you're not going, then I'm not going." Claire pronounced.

Annie looked at her shocked. "Oh no, don't do that! Don't stay home because of me!"

"Oh, it won't be any fun without you." Claire said firmly. "How can I go without my best friend?"

"Oh Claire," Annie sniffled again. "That's so sweet but don't do that because of me. I'd feel awful that I made you miss the prom."

"There's always next year." Claire waved her hand carelessly.

"But I'm probably not going to get a date next year either." Annie moaned.

Claire looked at her friend sympathetically. Then she had an idea. "Listen Annie, I know how we can solve both our problems."

"Huh?" Annie looked at her friend with confusion.

"I will go to the prom with the guy who can find you a date." Claire said.

"Oh Claire, then you'll never go." Annie lamented.

"Then I won't go." Claire said firmly.

"You're the best friend any one can ever have." Annie's voice got watery.

"No, you are." Claire smiled. "Now let's get out of the bathroom. We can still make it to last period."

Annie got off the toilet. She walked out first, pushing the door open… which smacked into the face of a student coming in.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Annie cried.

0o0

At the end of the day, Claire and Annie got ready to go home. Claire slammed her locker shut and turned to see a blond boy standing stiffly next to her.

"Um, hello… Noah?" She sort of recognized him from the table tennis team.

"Hi!" His voice was a little too high. He cleared his throat and it suddenly deepened. "I was wondering, if you don't have anything to do… that is if you're not busy… I was hoping that you'd like… I mean if you're not already going with someone else… because that would totally be cool…" He was starting to hyperventilate. Taking one long deep breath, it looked like he was going to try again. Claire cut him short.

"I'd love to go to the prom with you." She cooed.

"You would?" Noah's voice squeaked.

"But you see, unless my friend here," She pointed at Annie who smiled and waved. "Is going, I won't be either. I don't suppose you can find a date for her?" She batted her eyes at him.

"Uh… well… sure, I know a perfect guy for her. I'm sure he'd be happy to take her." Noah nodded enthusiastically.

"Great, then it's a date." Claire said. She started walking away with Annie.

Noah stood staring at them for a minute before clicking his heels together. He then proudly walked home. It wasn't until he got to his room that he realized what he had promised. In a panic, he pulled out his phone. Rex picked up after the second ring.

"Hey Noah, what's up?"

"Rex, I've got a serious situation. I need help!" He squeaked.

0o0

"Do you think he really has a friend for me?" Annie asked Claire as she revved up her motorcycle.

"Sure. I don't know, but something tells me Noah's… different from the other guys." Claire said confidently. "So you better have a dress ready."

"Oh, I think I'll go with that cute purple one." Annie pulled on a helmet. "Okay, here I go." She plunged off the side of the half-pipe on her cycle. Claire watched her fly back and forth. Then she saw her pull out her cell phone. That's when the wheel missed the ledge. The bike and Annie parted. Annie slid to the bottom of the half-pipe while the bike flew into a concession stand. People scattered before the bike tore through the wooden shed.

"Annie!" Claire ran down to check on her hand. "Are you okay?"

Annie gingerly got up. "Owww. I think I busted my hand."

A few hours later, Claire and Annie walked out of the hospital emergency room.

"I can't believe that all you broke was your hand." Claire shook her head.

"Yeah, I guess I was lucky." Annie said.

A car horn caught there attention. "Annie! Are you all right?" A concerned man called from the window.

Annie waved her casted arm and winced. "I'm fine dad."

"Come on, get in. You too Claire, I'll drive you home." He opened the back door. The girls got in.

"Thank you, sir." Claire said politely.

"You need to be more careful." He chided his daughter.

"Oh, dad. I had a helmet on." Annie said.

"Well, I guess you can't go on your date now." Her dad said off-handedly.

"Oh, come on dad! I'm fine. I just have a little sprain. The cast will be off in a month." She said exasperated.

"I don't like the idea of my little girl going out with some stranger. What do you know about this boy?" Her father growled.

"Uh… well…" Annie looked at Claire she gave a slight shrug. "He's a Noah's friend."

"And who's Noah?"

Claire jumped in. "You know Noah Nixon. He's on the table tennis team."

"Oh that Noah." Annie's dad relaxed. "I guess, he can't be that bad."

"Dad, I'm going to be getting ready at Claire's house. She's going to help me with my make-up since I can't really use my hand."

"Sure, sure. You two are like two peas in a pod." He laughed.

0o0

"He works for Providence?" Annie squealed. "Are you sure?"

"That's what Noah says. Hold still. I'm getting your mascara all over the place." Claire said as she did Annie's make up.

"That's so exciting." Annie said happily. Then her face fell. "What if I'm too boring?"

"Please, boring is not a word that describes you." Claire put on the finishing touches. "There, what so you think?" She asked.

"It's perfect! Thank you so much." Annie hugged her friend.

The doorbell rang.

"Oh, it must be them!" Annie hopped off the chair.

"Not so fast." Claire stopped her. "If we opened it right away, it will make us look desperate. Just wait long enough for them to wonder if they should ring it again, and then answer the door."

"Right!" Annie nodded.

0o0

"I was worried that Noah's friend would be a little…you know weird…" Annie whispered. "But he's a total hottie!"

Claire giggled. "He is cute."

"Oh, I forgot my lipstick." Annie said. "It's in my purse… which I left in the car." She hit her forehead.

"Go get it. The boys aren't here yet." Claire urged.

Annie ran past Rex and Noah. "Don't take the picture yet. I need my lipstick from my purse."

"It's cool. I'll get it." Rex went with her. He started searching in the back seat of the limo.

"Forgot I gave it to the driver, so I wouldn't lose it." Annie said trying to pull it out of the small compartment. Noticing that the emergency brake was in her way, she lowered it so she could get better access. Then as she closed the door, she accidently hit the lock. The car began rolling down the hill with Rex still inside. "Ugh, not again." Annie groaned. The driver stared in disbelief.

0o0

"That was totally awesome!" Annie gushed as she plopped onto Claire's bed.

"Yeah, it was definitely different." Claire agreed as she sat in the chair.

"We got to go to the prom, my date didn't die, and I got to fire a rocket launcher." Annie listed on her fingers.

"And Noah turned out to be pretty nice… a little neurotic… but nice." Claire said thoughtfully.

"I think he likes you." Annie teased.

"Mmm-hmm." Claire shrugged.

"And… I think you like him too." She grinned.

"Annie!" Claire playfully threw a pillow at her. "He's nice. That's all."

"So will you go out with him again?" Annie asked.

"Maybe, if Rex comes along." Claire said.

"Ooo, another double date." Annie clasped her hands.

"So you like Rex?" Claire asked slyly.

"He's okay." Annie said. "Not completely my type."

"I think anyone who lives through the night, would be your type." Claire joked.

"That's a low bar." Annie said. "But he's fun to hang out with."

"You never know what the future holds." Claire pointed out.

"That's true. You never know. But at the very least, I think we'll be good friends." Annie said. "But he'll never be as good as you."

"Hey BFF all the way." Claire agreed.

"BFF all the way." Annie replied.

 **So for these one shots, they will be stories about the other minor characters. Either to flesh them out from an episode or they will have their own stand alone adventure. What so you think? Since I don't know how many people will read these, this will be updated when I have an idea or have a request. They will be mostly one or two shots and when I feel like I don't want to continue, I'll just end it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**This is for you getitwrite12.**

 **I do not own.**

"Finally, done." Cricket wiped the sweat from her brow with her sleeve.

"Looks respectable." Skwydd agreed.

"Respectable? It's better than before." Tuck argued.

"Relax, mummy boy." Skwydd snorted. "It's not a whole lot better than before because we don't have any moola to really fix things up."

"I think we did a pretty decent job considering Quarry really trashed the place." Cricket looked around.

"Yeah, but fixing the hole with duct tape is kinda ghetto." Tuck pointed out.

"We live on the roof of a building. I think that's what makes it ghetto." Cricket observed wryly.

"Look, I'm just saying a little money can really improve this place. A little plaster, some wallpaper, a couple of rugs." Skwydd pointed to different areas.

"So now you're an interior decorator?" Cricket smirked. "How about some plants and curtains?"

"Oh and some decorative shams." Tuck added.

Cricket raised an eyebrow. "Do you even know what a sham is?"

"No clue." Tuck admitted. "But I like saying sham. Sham sham sham." He chanted.

"I know we promise Rex we would keep it on the down low but it can't hurt..." Skwydd started

"No! Don't even go there." Cricket said firmly. "We don't want Providence coming after us for stealing."

"I never said stealing! I was going to suggest street performing." Skwydd said indignantly.

"Performing? Tuck asked incredulously. What would we do?" Tuck asked skeptically.

Do? Look at us. We're freaks. We might as well get paid for it. Skwydd said.

"I don't know. I don't like the idea of being exploited." Cricket wrinkled her nose.

"It's not exploration if we do it to ourselves. Look." Skwydd blew out some ink. The black cloud formed into a bunny before dissipating.

"Cute, but you think anyone would pay to see that?" Tuck asked.

"People pay for balloon animals." Skwydd replied.

"Yeah, but they can take that home with them." Cricket pointed out.

"And it deflates the next day. But this..." Skwydd did a few more animals. "I can do a bunch of ink animals for them. Go ahead ask me to do any animal."

"Kinkajou." Tuck said.

"What?" Skwydd's mouth hung open.

"You know a kinkajou." Tuck repeated.

"What the heck is a kinkajou?" Skwydd asked.

"It looks like a coati." Tuck answered.

"I don't know what either of those are." Skwydd said.

"You said any animal." Tuck argued.

"I mean normal animals like dog or cat or elephant." Skwydd said.

"Kinkachu's are normal." Cricket explained. "They live in the rainforest in Central and South America."

"Look a normal person on the street isn't going to ask for a kinkajou. They are going to ask for a dog or a giraffe." Skwydd insisted.

"Giraffes aren't normal either... They are an endangered species." Cricket noted.

"Forget it. You guys are not helping. Do you know any other way to get some money?" Skwydd snapped.

"We can get jobs." Tuck suggested.

"Yeah? Doing what?" Skwydd asked. "You think anyone's going to hire a bunch of freaks like us."

"There might be another..." Cricket started to say.

"Well, it doesn't hurt to try." Tuck ignoring her.

"You know, we can..." Cricket tried again.

"Fine, how about this. You go try performing and I'll go find a job. Whoever gets the most money first wins." Tuck proposed.

"What's the prize?" Skwydd asked.

"How about whoever loses has to do all the chores for a month?" Tuck said.

"Deal!" Skwydd jumped in.

The boys shook hands.

"But guys if you'll just listen..." Cricket began.

"Not now Cricket. We have money to make." Both left the water tower.

"Boys!" Cricket said in disgust.

0o0

A trenched coat figure walked to the corner of a street market in Hong Kong. He set down a crate and stood on top of it. Then in dramatic fashion he threw off his trench coat and announced.

"Come one come all and see the amazing ink work of the amazing walking human squid." Skwydd announced. He immediately blew out ink in the shape of a duck. Some people began to gather to watch.

"Any animal can be created by the amazing Skwydd!" He announced.

"How about a kinkajou?" Someone called out.

"What? Are you serious?" Skwydd snapped.

"Hey you! Do you have a license to perform here?" Some policemen called from down the street.

"Uh-oh." Skwydd grabbed his box and bolted with the cops behind him.

Meanwhile, Tuck holding a wanted ad walked into a restaurant.

"Hi! I'm looking for a job." He said to the man hauling some baskets from the kitchen.

"You have any experience?" He asked without looking up.

"I cook for my family." Tuck answered.

"Ok. I try you out. Kitchen over there." He said still not looking up.

Tuck walked into the little kitchen.

"One order of roast pork over rice." A waiter shouted into the kitchen.

"I need an order of wonton soup." Another one shouted.

The orders came in fast. Tuck using his bandages started cutting cooking and plating at the same time.

He was doing a fairly decent job until the owner walked in. For the first time he got a good look at his new employee.

"Aaahhhh! EVO." He screamed.

"Where?" Tuck spun around. "Oh you mean me. It's okay. I'm friendly."

But the owner started throwing dishes at him.

"Hey, be careful. Those are fragile." Tuck caught each one and laid them carefully down.

"Get out! Police! Help! I'm being attacked by an EVO." The owner screamed hysterically.

"Serious? You're the one throwing things at me. Can I at least get paid for the work I did?" The owner grabbed a roast duck from the hook and threw it at him.

"I was hoping for cash but I guess this will do." Tuck walked out calmly.

0o0

Later that evening, Tuck and Skwydd met back at the water tower.

"How'd you do?" Cricket asked looking at them from the couch.

"I got 20 cents, two buttons, and a bottle cap." Skwydd slapped down his take.

"I got roast duck and I think there's some fortune cookies somewhere in my wrap." He patted himself as small pieces fell. "Want some?"

"Uh, no thanks." Cricket looked at the unappetizing mess.

"I win." Skwydd declared. "That's not even money."

"Hey, it has more monetary value than that." Tuck said disdainfully

"The bet was money."

"And this has value."

"Uh hem." Cricket got up. "She plopped down a stack of bills."

The boy's mouth hung open.

"How did you get that?" Skwydd poked the stack making sure it was real.

"You didn't steal it, did you?" Tuck asked.

"Of course not!" She said indignantly. "But I was trying to tell you that there's a way to do both. The arcade was looking for some publicity for its store and I went to ask if they are interested in hiring EVOs to promote their store. They said yes."

"What do you have to do?" Tuck asked.

"All you do is play video games. A couple of verses game against opponents and you get paid." Cricket said.

"That's crazy!" Skwydd exclaimed.

"Not according to the stack of money." Cricket grinned. "So I guess that means I win and you guys can do the chores for a month."

"What no! That's just between me and Tuck." Skwydd protested.

"Well, I guess that means I get to decorate the water tower." Cricket smiled slyly. "I'm thinking of pink paint and doilies."

"Come on Skwydd she won fair and square." Tuck said. "Besides I want some shams."

"Fine." Skwydd grumbled. "But we have to spilt the work 60-40."

"What?" Tuck looked at him incredulously. "Why?"

"Because I won second place." Skwydd waved his money in Tuck's face.

"Nu-uh!" Tuck pushed his duck back in his friend's face.

"Fellas, fellas, come on. You can figure that out later." Cricket pushed the two apart. "How about we just go get some food?"

"Let's go to the night market." Tuck suggested.

"Where I can do some more ink drawings." Skwydd started moving to the door.

"Not if I can find a job there first." Tuck started after him.

"Ugh, maybe I should have told them the arcade would also hire them." She then cringed at the sound of crashing. "Or maybe not." She mused thinking about the potential damage they would cause.

 **I just got back from 1 of my 3 vacations this summer. I wrote this on the airplane. I was also working on my other stories. Don't worry. I didn't forget.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own.**

Biowulf slashed at Circe who jumped out of the way. Her secondary mouth sprouted, and an ear-splitting screech emitted from it. Biowulf braced himself as the soundwaves passed over him. He slid back from the blast but nothing else happened. He lunged at her, claws splayed. She met each of his hits with her own. But she was pushed back until a roundhouse kick felled her.

"Bah! Pathetic. Your moves are still sloppy." He scoffed as he offered her a hand. She took it and he roughly hauled her up. "Providence would eat you for lunch."

"Haha lunch!" Skalamander sneered. "She doesn't have enough meat on her to stick between my teeth."

"If you're saying I'm thin, thanks." Circe retorted. "I try to keep my girlish figure."

"Enough. We need to practice." Biowulf snapped. "Again!" He got into a fighting stance.

Circe gritted her teeth and got into her fighting stance.

0o0

Circe limped to her room.

"Circe got her butt whooped, Circe got her butt whooped." A sing song voice came from above her. Circe tiredly glanced up to see a head hanging upside down from a red hole in the ceiling.

"Not now, Breach. I'm not in the mood." Circe grumbled.

She was stopped in her tracks by an ice pack dropped at her feet. She looked up in surprise as Breach slunk back into her hole.

"Thanks." Circe called as the red void shrunk closed. She picked up the bag. Brushing off the dirt, she placed the ice on her sore shoulder. Entering her room, she noticed that her room had be rearranged. Her bed was flipped upside down. Her dresser was pushed drawer side against the wall. Her clothes were sorted into piles on the floor. "Breach!" She yelled angrily. Disembodied laughter echoed through the room. Circe huffed and stomped out of the room. There was only one place that she could go after one of Breach's little pranks.

She walked down the hall and walked toward a vine covered wall. When she reached it, she shoved the overgrown vegetation aside to reveal an opening. Ducking to avoid the low hanging branches, she walked through the entryway and down a set of stairs. Although it was pitch dark, she had trudged these steps many times, mainly to get away from the Pack when they became too much. Not that she wasn't grateful for them taking her in, but sometimes they were a little too… intense for her. Biowulf was trying to make her into, in his words, a real warrior. Skalamander couldn't care less about her. Most of the time he ignored her. Breach liked to mess with everyone except Van Kleiss. She seemed to be frightened of him. To be honest, she was a little scared of him herself. There were days when he seemed to care about her well-being and then there were others where it seemed he was grooming them for something. Another reason no EVOs would come down here was the EVOs that Van Kleiss sent down the tunnels never returned. But she avoided that area. She discovered this hole one day when she needed a place to… gather herself. It had been a particularly bad week. They were at the UN where Van Kleiss wanted to "talk" to the nations of the world. He was going to convince them that EVOs had the right to exist… no… not only exist but had the right to the world. Van Kleiss wanted to get Rex on their side. It was her job to try to convince him. She ended up clobbering him over the head. The guilt was overwhelming. She was sure he would hate her afterwards. He certainly was angry, not that she blamed him. To her surprise though he still seemed open to talking to her. She tried to bring him to their side. He turned her down. She didn't let it show but she was… disappointed. That wasn't the right word… devastated. That was too strong. Somewhere between those two was how she felt… and it didn't help that Van Kleiss was livid that his plan was foiled by Rex again. He seemed to blame her. She had tried. Rex just lived by a different code. In some ways she respected him for it even though it made it easy for her to manipulate him.

And that was the problem. It hurt her to play him. She really did like him. He was not like anyone she'd ever met before. He had… integrity. She was surprised by the word popping into her head. Not knowing what to do she searched for a place, so she could be alone to think and to avoid Van Kleiss. That seemed like a million years ago. Now here she was. Her foot touched the floor. Even though they were now in the lower depths of the castle, light streamed from the cracks above illuminating the cavern where she now stood.

She whistled. A large worm appeared from one of the many tunnels that littered the cavern.

"Hey, Bannock, just needed to get away again." She said. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out some vegetation. She tossed it on the ground. For such a large creature it was quite nimble as it scooped up the treat. As it contently chewed or whatever it was doing, Circe patted it on its side.

"Why is my life so complicated?" She wondered out loud. Sighing she sat on a fallen stone. Bannock sensing her melancholy nuzzled her. She patted its head. "Well, at least I have one friend." Then Rex's face came unbidden to her mind's eye. "I don't know… I don't know if he's my friend. I certainly haven't been much of one to him." She said sadly. "Maybe..." She buried her face in Bannock rough skin. " Maybe one day."

 **I am working on Lost. I just needed a break. I'm slowly drowning in work and real life,so I wrote a stream of consciousness story. I know it's not very good but this was floating in my head for a while now. Kinda reflects the turmoil I feel.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own.**

An aging Asian man shuffled to the stove and retrieved the whistling kettle. Pouring the hot water into the tea cup, water bounced out and hit his bare foot. Placing the kettle down on the table, the realization chilled him. He hadn't felt a thing.

Quickly he sat down and examined his foot. Peering closely, he could see tiny scales covering his foot. As he ran his hand over the top, he stopped. Picking up his hands he lifted his hands to the light. Scales were growing on them too.

"Kuso." He swore lightly in Japanese.

0o0

"How is he?" Six asked Five as they walked through the barren landscape.

Five shrugged. "As well as can be expected." They continued silently up the mountain. The island had seen better days. When he had first came to the place it had been lush and green. It was a perfect place to live hidden from the world. Then the catastrophic event that changed everything happened. The vegetation nearly disappeared over night. It was as if the health of the island was linked to the health of its long time resident.

They reached the opening in the mountain. Six could feel the heat from the magma in the now active volcano. The volcano had always been dormant when he lived there. There was smoke once in a while and some rumblings but never posed a real danger. Now it threatened to blow at any time.

"We're here." Five stopped at a bridge.

Six looked across to see a man made structure dangling precariously over the boiling lava. "A little overly dramatic, isn't it?" Six pushed his sunglasses further up his nose.

"I have to warn you, he's changed… a lot." Five called out as Six started across the bridge.

Six paused a moment but continued along the swinging bridge. When he reached the other side, he knocked on the door timidly. Strange how even as a grown man, habits die hard.

"Just go in ya nit!" Five called from the other side. "He can barely talk!"

Six gritted his teeth and entered the room. He looked around. It was brightly lit with his master's favorite things… things to soothe him. He could barely make out the scrawling on the top of the room. I am a man. Something red shifted in his field of vision. Refelxes made him get into a fighting stance. A humanoid figure covered in red scales greeted him.

"Six." It croaked.

Six immediately kneeled before the figure. He would recognize his master anywhere, in any form. "Master." He replied.

One waved his hand which started to look like a paw. "Too formal." His voice was strained. "Good to see you my boy."

Six got off his knee and removed his shades. "Master, I came as soon as I heard. I… I'm sorry I left. I promise I'll be back more…"

One raised his hand again. "No, live your life. I've lived mine."

"I've decided to join Providence. They are working on the EVO problem… maybe… maybe they can find a way to help you." Six ignored him.

One shook his head. "Too late for me."

"No!" For the first time Six's voice carried emotions and his eyes flashed with anger. "No, it's not too late. You've always said as long as there is life, there's hope!"

"Six," One said soothingly. "I always have hope."

"Then stay alive, Master. I will find a way to help you I promise. I'll make you proud." He placed his sunglasses back on his face. He bowed and left.

"I've always been proud of you." One rumbled but Six had left already. One's shoulders slumped. He sat back on the ground in the lotus position and closed his eyes.

0o0

Five sat Six come out of the cell. He walked with a resolution that she had not seen in a long time.

"He's changed." She said as he came nearer.

"No, he's still the same." Six answered flatly. He walked past her with out breaking his stride.

Five's eyes narrowed. She jogged to catch up. "So you don't thing red scales is much of a change?"

"He's still One. He'll always be One." Six replied.

"And when this disease robs him of his mind? You know he'll be a danger to everyone." Five argued.

"He will fight it." Six insisted.

"For how long?" Five questioned. "It's killing him. He loses a little of himself everyday."

"I'll find a way to help him." Six said determinedly.

"How? That new fangled organization you just joined? As far as I can tell, they just kill the bloody things!" Five huffed.

"Don't worry about it." Six said curtly. They had reached the opening to the outside. A fresh cool breeze blew over them. "Take care of him." He said in a kinder tone. Then he sprinted away.

Five glared at his retreating back. Then her expression softened. She knew how much Six loved their Master. She sighed looking back at the volcano.

"Kyrie eleison." She muttered under her breath. Then turning to see a jet flying off, she gave a half smile. If anyone could help, it would be Six. "Good luck and god speed."

 **Kuso: Japanese word for darnit**

 **Kyrie eleison: It means Lord have mercy in Greek. There's this old 80's song by Mr. Mister called Kyrie. I always misheard the lyrics as "carry me a laser" instead of these words: Kyrie eleison. It's a good song but it dates me.**

 **princesss02 and guests: Thanks for your review.**

 **Sephiria Arks: I have more stories on the Numbers. But it'll be a while before I can get to them all. Hope you like this one.**

 **Promise! I'm working on the next chapter of Lost.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Ooops! Sorry guys. Chalk it up to being tired all the time. I accidently posted my Rex vs. to my Sidebar story. I had only finished the Rex vs and not the Sidebar yet but now I had to rush it so that my poor Sidebar will not sit empty.**

 **I do not own.**

Noah looked at the necklace from the window. It would be perfect for Claire but the price tag hanging off the side mocked him. He checked his wallet. Not even close. He sighed. It looks like he'd have to find Claire a different gift. It was their first Christmas together officially as boyfriend and girlfriend. He happened to see her jewelry box filled with glittering pieces. When he off-handedly mentioned it, she told him a lot of it was from her former admirers. He gulped. That was a lot of competition.

He trudge away from the window when he spotted a sign.

HELP WANTED FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON.

It was in front of a weird store that he had never noticed before. He walked inside. The inside did not match the modern design of the mall. The wooden floor creaked when he walked on it. The wooden shelves looked sturdy unlike the other store's flimsy plastic ones. On the shelves sat old fashion wooden toys, the type that would have been made by hand in the 1800 or 1900's.

"Wow, this is old school." Noah muttered.

"I thought the term you kids use now a days was OG." A sprightly old woman popped up from behind a counter.

"Auugghh!" Noah jumped back.

"Oh sorry, didn't mean to startle you. What can I do to help you?" She smiled pleasantly.

"I… uh… was looking for a job." Noah stuttered trying to stop his heart from beating out of his chest.

"Oh, yes, the help wanted. I'm looking for someone who can do some heavy lifting. These old bones aren't what they use to be." She chuckled.

"I can do that." Noah agreed.

"Great, can you start now?" She asked.

"Like as in this very second?" Noah gulped. "I guess."

"Wonderful!" She clasped her hands together. "Now to celebrate." She pulled out a tray of hot cocoa and a plateful of decorated sugar cookies. "The hubby loves these."

Noah hesitantly picked up a Christmas tree cookie. He wasn't sure he should eat it not knowing where it came from but under the sparkling eyes of his new employer he took a nibble.

"Wow, that's really good." He declared taking a bigger bite.

"Of course, it's my secret recipe…" She leaned over and whispered. "It's made out of people."

Noah choked on the next bite.

The lady laughed. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. People are too hard to bake, anyway."

Noah who was now in the throes of a coughing fit tried to pretend he had known all along.

"When you've finished with your little snack, please unpack these boxes and stack that empty shelf over there." The old lady said.

"Ok." Noah agreed. "By the way, my name is…"

"Noah?" The old lady finished for him.

Noah stood gaping at her.

"Oh, don't look so surprised. I've seen you walking around the mall with your friends… Rick? Ron?"

"Rex?" He supplied.

"Yes, Rex. He's quite destructive but his heart's in the right place as is yours." She smiled. "You can call me Gertie."

"Sure, Gertie." Noah said as he finished his cocoa. He went over to a box and started opening it. He was surprised to see dozens of handcrafted wooden trains.

"They're beauties aren't they?" Gertie said from behind him. "They don't make it like those anymore." She shook her head. "Now all kids play with are things that beep and bop. There's no more imagination or sense of wonder anymore. Oh, well. I guess I'm just old-fashioned."

Noah watched her walk away. He pulled up a stool and began placing the trains on the shelf starting from the highest and making his way down.

That day he sat in the shop keeping Gertie company. No one came in. Noah saw that people didn't even look in their direction. He felt guilty himself, since he never noticed the shop either until he needed a job.

"Closing time!" Gertie announced. "Here's your pay for the day."

"Oh, uh don't I get paid at the end of the week by check with the appropriate amount deducted for tax purposes?" Noah asked.

Gertie laughed. "You always were a stickler for the rules. I like to do things the old way. Don't worry, I won't stiff you on payment or the government on their money. Everything will be on the level. But I figured you'd like to have some cash tonight to take your lady friend out."

Noah's ears turned red. "Um, I was going to save it for something."

"Oh that pretty necklace? Yes, that's a very thoughtful gift." She nodded.

"How did you know…" Noah was once again shocked.

"I saw you burning a hole in the glass. There's not a lot of traffic here. I have a lot of free time to observe." Gertie said. "Here you go."

Noah accepted the wad of cash wondering how she could afford to pay him if there was no money coming into the store. But that wasn't his problem. "Thanks." He accepted it.

"See you tomorrow after school." She waved as he left.

0o0

"What do you mean you can't play ball?" Rex scowled at his friend.

"I got a job." Noah said as he walked past Rex.

"What do you need a job for?" He followed his friend.

Noah sighed. "I'm saving up for a gift for Claire."

"Are you trying to impress her again?" Rex groaned. "Why don't you just get her some flowers…"

"Flowers? She has a whole box of shiny things and you want me to get her dinky flowers?" Noah asked.

"Uh, is that a trick question?" Rex asked.

"Nevermind." He walked to the bus stop.

Seeing that he had upset his friend, Rex offered him a ride on his Rex Ride. Noah hesitated for a minute but then got on.

They arrived at the mall fairly quickly since Rex was able to dodge traffic.

"I guess I'll just hang out at the mall while you work." Rex said as they both entered. "But first, I want to see where you work…" Rex trailed off as they stood in front of the store.

"Here it is." Noah said.

"Wow, it's old school like Six." Rex said as he peered into the window.

"Yeah, the owner's odd but she's nice. Want to come in?" Noah opened the door.

"Really, don't you usually want me to stay away from your work places?" Rex frowned.

"If you didn't to break anything, I wouldn't mind you at work." Noah countered.

"What have I ever broken… besides a cart, and the lamp, and that actor?" Rex asked.

"How about three city blocks?" Noah reminded him.

"That was the EVO not me." Rex retorted.

The door opened and Gertie peeked out. "Ready to work Noah?"

"Oh yeah, sure. This is my friend…" Noah started introducing Rex.

"Rex! How nice to see you! Would you like some cookies?" She asked.

"No!" Noah said while Rex said, "Sure!"

"Well, come in." She invited him in. She pulled more cookies out from under the counter as well as a cup of hot cocoa.

"Ooo, it has little marshmallows." Rex said.

"Rex, hurry up and get out." Noah hissed at him.

"What's the hurry? It doesn't look like you're very busy." Rex observed.

Noah looked around. It was true. He had not seen one person in the store.

"Well, I don't want you distracting me at work." Noah replied.

"Thank you for the cookies." Rex told Gertie while ignoring Noah.

"Oh you're welcome dear." She smiled. "It's always nice to have some company."

Rex stayed the whole time. Noah spent the time cleaning and organizing the space. Glancing out the window he saw people walk by without even looking at the store.

They needed to advertise.

"Advertise?" Gertie frowned. "Oh, I don't think I have that kind of budget."

"I mean you don't have to buy ad space or anything, but make some flyers and hand them out in the store." Noah suggested.

"Oh that's a splendid idea." Then her face fell. "But printing flyers cost money as well."

Noah thought a moment before making a decision. "How about you use the money you were going to give me today to make flyers?"

Rex choked on his cocoa and almost spit the drink from his mouth.

"That's very kind of you but I did agree to pay you." Gertie frowned.

"And you will, but you need to keep this shop running. Why don't you print the flyers, I can distribute them around the mall and get some people in here. Then when you make some sales you can pay me."

"That's wonderful but are you sure it's something you will be all right with?" She asked.

"Yeah," He nodded.

"Well, then let's get a flyer made." She beamed.

It took a couple of hours because Noah was a perfectionist. Using his penchant formaking charts and graphs he was able to produce a decent eye catching flyer. He and Rex went upstairs to the printers. Thirty minutes later they left with an armful of colorful flyers.

Once they deposited some of their flyers at the store, they began canvassing the mall distributing the papers to anyone who would take one. Many ended up in the garbage cans.

At the end of the day, they came back with not a single customer coming into the store.

"You boys tried your best." Gertie said. "And it was very kind of you."

"No, we're not done yet." Noah said determinedly. "I'll hang some flyers on my way home and tomorrow I'll hand out more in the mall."

"That's so kind of you. You both are good boys." Gertie said.

"I know." Rex acknowledged. Noah rolled his eyes.

"Since I can't pay you, accept these toys as my thanks." She handed Rex and Noah each a toy. Noah got a wooden train and Rex got a wind-up tin soldier.

As they walked out of the mall, Rex turned to Noah. "I thought you were going to save that money for a present for Claire?"

"I know, but I can't stand by and watch Gertie not get any customers. She's a nice lady and I'm sure if people saw how cool her stuff is, they'll buy it." Noah answered. "Then I can get paid and get the gift."

"Hey Noah?" Rex said to his friend.

"What?" Noah asked.

"You're delusional… but in a good way." Rex said.

"Uh thanks?" Noah was not sure how to respond.

"I hope your plan works out." He continued.

"Yeah, me too."

0o0

The next day, Noah tried again to get people into the store. Once again, the store remained empty.

"I'm sorry Noah, but it looks like I won't be able to pay you. You don't have to come back tomorrow." Gertie told him sadly.

"No, I'll come back to help out. There has to be a way to get people to come." He pounded his fist into his hand." Noah paced the store. "The charts I made don't lie. As soon as people learn about your superior toys, they'll flock here to buy them. But how do we get them to come?"

There was a commotion outside. Noah went to see what was causing the ruckus.

"Come one! Come all and see the amazing hand made toys from Gertie's Workshop!"

It was Rex. He had formed his Funchucks and were spinning them to get people's attention. They rescinded when a small crowd gathered. "Now take a look at this well made specimen." He pulled out his tin soldier, wounded it, and formed his Block Party. Placing it on one glowing disc, it marched right to the edge when it dropped right onto his other Block Party. He moved around with the toy shifting from his right to left Block Party. People started murmuring. Noah got an idea. He pulled several toys from the shelf and ran to join Rex. He placed the train on the ground and pushed it. It rolled smoothly along the ground while the smoke stack moved up and down. He wounded up some toy drummers and placed them on the floor. The crowd grew bigger and before long some of them started moving into the store.

Rex and Noah looked at each other triumphantly.

0o0

"You boys did a wonderful job." She said happily. "That was most successful business I have ever had on Christmas eve." She handed an envelope to Noah. "You've earned this."

"Thank you." Noah accepted the envelope. "I hope you don't mind, but I got to get to the store before it closes." Noah bolted out of the store and ran across to the jewelry store. When he arrived, he stopped in his tracks. The necklace was gone. Not believing his eyes, he went into the store.

"Excuse me sir." He said breathlessly. "What happened to the necklace in the window?"

"That? It's been sold already.

"Do you have another?"

"No, it was the last one. Can I interest you in a different necklace?"

"No, thanks." Knowing he couldn't afford anything else, Noah left dejectedly.

"Oh Noah, you left so fast that I didn't have time to give you this." Gertie handed him a package.

"Thank you." Noah didn't even look at it.

"Remember Noah, Claire likes you for who you are not what you can give her." Gertie said sagely. "Don't short change yourself or her."

"Right. Thanks." Noah said not really hearing.

"Well, thank you for all your help. I'm sure you'll go very far in your life." Gertie hugged him warmly before leaving Noah alone.

"Hey, dude, want a lift home?" Rex bounded over cheerfully.

"Whatever." Noah said glumly.

"What's the matter? You helped Gertie like you wanted." Rex walked with his depressed friend.

"I know, but I really wanted to get that necklace for Claire." He sighed.

"Ah, don't worry. Claire will love whatever you give her." He said.

"But I wanted it to be special." Noah groaned.

"Yeah, I get that. But there's always next year." They stepped outside. He formed his Rex Ride. "Coming?"

Noah got on and they drove off. Rex dropped Noah off before.

Noah slowly walked toward his door. Just as he was about to open the door, it swung open.

"Claire!" Noah was surprised to see her.

"Hey Noah, I came by to drop off your present. We're leaving tomorrow for my aunt's house." She said cheerfully.

"Oh, uh, I…" Noah stammered nervously. He forgot about the package in his hand.

"Is this for me?" She asked taking the parcel in his hand.

"Well, um actually…" Noah gulped watching Claire rip open the package. She gasped.

Inside was a simple box. When she opened it, a small ballerina began turning while music played. In the center, a beautiful silver necklace hung sparkling in the light.

"Oh Noah, this is beautiful." Tears popped into her eyes. "My mother had a music box just like this. We lost it when we moved. Thank you." She hugged him.

"You're welcome." He hugged her back.

0o0

The next day, Noah hurried to see Gertie. As he entered the mall he walked to where the store was located. He paused when he arrived. It was an empty shell with a metal gate pulled over it. He peered in. It looked nothing like it did yesterday. There were no wooden shelves, counters, or any toys. It looked like it had been empty for months.

He spotted a security guard. "Excuse me, where did Gertie's Workshop go?"

"There's never been a Gertie's Workshop, kid." The man said gruffly. "I've been here for twenty years and there's never been a store with that name."

"But it's right here!" Noah pointed to the empty store.

The guard glanced at the shop. "That use to be a clothing store. It's been empty for months."

He left Noah gawking at the empty store. Confused he looked again at the metal gates. Suddenly, he saw a small envelope addressed to him.

Looking around to see if anyone was around he picked up the envelope.

Opening it, he unfolded the letter.

Dear Noah,

You are a good boy. You need to have more confidence in yourself. People who are truly your friends love you for who you are, not what you do. And there are many things to love about you my friend.

Love,

Gertie

Noah looked at the note for a second before shoving into his pocket. Looking up into the air, he whispered, "Thanks, Gertie," before walking away with a spring in his step.

 **So it's a little cheesy. But Christmas stories are suppose to be cheesy. Hope you enjoyed it.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I do not own.**

After Rex took off in the Providence jet, Skwydd and Tuck raced after the girls.

"So, are you ladies doing anything now?" Skwydd asked as he trotted next to the girls.

Circe and Cricket looked at each other.

"Not anything especially." Cricket answered slowly. "Why?"

"Well, if you have nothing else to do perhaps you would like to join us in going to see a movie." Skwydd suggested.

"Movie?" Circe raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, there's a double feature playing at the movie house down snake alley." Tuck said.

"Um, I guess." Circe looked at Cricket who looked equally confused.

"Sure, I mean it's not like we have anything planned." Cricket said.

Tuck offered Cricket his arm which she took hesitantly. Skwydd was about to offer his but Circe had already walked off.

At the theater, they snuck in to the empty balcony seats. The usher who was friendly with them allowed them to sit in the closed off section of the theater as to not scare off the other people. They paid for their tickets, grabbed some popcorn, and took their seats.

The first movie was a Kung Fu flick. The girls were quite enthralled with it. Cricket didn't even notice when Tuck placed his arm casually around the back of her seat. Skwydd noticed Tuck's moves and tried to emulate him. Just as he reached his arm out, Circe turned around.

"What are you doing?" She asked frowning.

"Oh, I uh was just stretching." Skwydd said quickly pulling back his arm.

"Do you have any more popcorn?" She asked.

"Uh, sure." He offered her his bucket.

"Thanks." She settled back to watching the movie.

Skwydd waited a moment before trying again.

"I'm going to get some soda. How about you guys?" Circe suddenly asked the group.

"Sure." Cricket said eyes not leaving the screen.

"I'm good." Tuck answered.

She looked at Skwydd who had withdrawn his arm.

"I can get it for you." He offered.

"No, I'll blend in better." She said getting up.

A few minutes later she returned with three sodas.

She passed them out before sitting down again.

The second feature started which looked like a horror film. Tuck glanced at Skwydd and gave him a slight nod. This was it.

Unfortunately, it was not quite the reaction, they were hoping for. During the jump scare, Circe and Cricket burst out laughing.

"You call that a ghost?" Circe gasped in between her giggles.

"You can see the green screen." Cricket agreed through her own laughter.

"I've seen scarier things in the bathroom." Circe remarked.

The boys looked at each other with chagrin.

Tuck shrugged and leaned back to enjoy the movie. Skwydd sighed and did the same.

They worried less about making moves and more about enjoying each other's companies.

"That was fun." Cricket said as they walked home.

"The first movie was pretty good, the second was stupid." Circe said.

"Yeah, that second movie was such a rip-off of that better horror film." Tuck added.

"Ah, all horror movies are derivatives." Skwydd said dismissively.

"That's true about all movies." Circe said. "But what they do with it makes it fun to watch."

They continue to discuss and laugh while they walked home.

"Wow, look at the time. I guess it's my turn to make dinner." Circe said.

"I'll help." Skwydd volunteer.

"Oh thanks." Circe said surprised.

She started their little stove while he got out the pot.

They worked in silence for a while until Skwydd cleared his throat.

"So, I was thinking about what Rex said." He said off-handedly.

Circe looked at him after placing the pot full of water on the stove.

"I was thinking that we do work well together and all." He started awkwardly. "So why can't we try to be you know..."

Circe bit her lip. She thought a moment. "Skwydd, you're a really good friend..."

"Uh-oh... I don't like the sound of that." Skwydd muttered

"Just let me talk." She said. "Skwydd, I like you but not in that way We're too much alike. We'd drive each other crazy."

Skwydd sighed. "You still like Rex don't you."

Circe sighed too. "I don't know. Well, yeah, I do. But I don't know what he thinks of me. I mean I did beat him up."

"Ha, join the club. I was going to kill him." Skwydd snickered.

They both laughed.

"So… are we okay?" Circe asked nervously as she added the noodles into the boiling water.

"I won't lie… I'm kinda disappointed but you're right. We are too much alike." Skwydd shrugged. "Yeah, we're okay."

"You know, there's someone out there for you." Circe said.

"Maybe… maybe not." He said noncommittally.

"Wait, is there someone?" Circe's eyebrows rose.

"I did meet this girl, but she's too tightly wound." Skwydd almost sounded wistful. "She'd never go out with a freak like me."

"How would you know?" Circe asked.

"She works for Providence." He said.

Circe's eyes widened. "We do have a lot in common."

"Yeah, we do." Skwydd agreed.

"Why don't you… give her a call?" She asked.

"And say what? Hey Kenwyn, it's Skwydd, you know, that EVO freak you met at the Sonoran Desert who almost killed everyone when his power went out of control? I don't think so."

"Okay, apparently I missed that whole story. You're gonna have to catch me up on that one. But seriously, what's the worst that can happen?" Circe a sked before realizing what she said.

Skwydd gave her a look.

"Well, I guess she could say she's not interested. But you'd never know unless you try." She urged him.

"Well, I guess I'll never know. Cause I'm not trying." Skwydd said stubbornly.

"Okay, just saying." Circe held her hands up in defeat. "Noodles are done."

"I'll go get Tuck and Cricket." He said getting up.

Circe drained the noodles and added some peanut sauce over it. Placing the food into bowls she set them on their makeshift table.

"Boy, I'm starving." Tuck declared coming in.

"You're always starving." Cricket pointed out.

The four friends settled into a comfortable meal.

0o0

Later that night, Circe came out to the living room to get something when she stopped in her tracks.

"Trendbenders? I've never heard of them." Circe could hear Skwydd's voice coming from the room. There was silence as Skwydd seemed to be listening to something. "Really? Top Ten? I guess I'll have to look them up. I'm into 80's C-pop myself. You know being in Hong Kong and all. Yeah, I know K-pop and J-pop. But too many pretty boys, for my taste."

Circe debated whether to go in or leave when she was shocked to hear Skwydd chuckle a little. "No, I'm not weeaboo, Kenwyn."

Circe walked backwards back to her room. Once she got back, she smiled to herself. She liked seeing her friends happy.

 **Hope you are all well. This is a late Christmas present for Iwannagetitwrite and anyone else who likes the Hong Kong gang. Here's to a new year of more stories.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Happy Thanksgiving. Stories swirl around in my head, but real life keeps getting in the way. So from my poll a handful of you are still reading. So I guess I should write once in awhile.**

 **This takes place sometime in season 1. This is about Wade and Beasly and Thanksgiving. Wade and Beasly are not a couple! They are just good partners and friends. Not every friendship needs to be romantic.**

 **I do not own.**

"When are you leaving?" Wade asked Beasly.

Beasly looked at the clock. " In a few more hours." He grinned.

"Tell your mama I said hi." Wade said.

"Will do." Beasly nodded. "You know Captain says you can have Thanksgiving off since you already worked through all the other holidays."

Wade shrugged. "I got no family." She said off-handedly. "Besides the cafeteria does a mean turkey roulade."

"Hmph, that's nothing compared to mama's garlic herb butter turkey with the fixings." Beasly snorted.

"Go have an extra helping for me." Wade laughed.

"Or you can come with and try it yourself." Beasly pointed out.

"Are you inviting me to your house?" She asked incredulously.

"I'm inviting you to the best Thanksgiving meal you've ever had in your life." Beasly boasted.

Before Wade could answer, the alarm went off. Wade and Beasly looked at each other for a second before bolting out the door.

"What are you doing?" Wade asked as she jogged to keep up with Beasly. "You have to go in a few hours."

"I'm just going to check in with Captain Calan." Beasly said. "See what's going on." Wade frowned but said nothing. Rounding the corner, they arrived at the main conference room.

When they walked in, Calan was pointing at a 3D hologram map.

"They have taken over a key base and are moving toward the next target…" Calan's voice was tight.

Wade leaned over to the nearest agent. "Van Kleiss?" She whispered.

"Who else?" The man turned around with a scowl. Wade recognized Nyquist. "Stinkin' EVO can't even let us have one day off."

Wade glanced at Beasly. His face was unreadable. Wade touched his arm. "Hey, it's okay. We can take care of this."

Beasly turned to look at her. He gave a half smile. "You heard Calan. The forces on the ground have been decimated. It means all hands on deck."

Although he tried to sound nonchalant, she knew he was disappointed.

"We'll take them out quick and get you on that plane back home. You won't miss your mama's turkey." She said.

"Sure." He didn't sound convinced.

"Move out." Calan ordered.

Everyone saluted and left.

0o0

Wade sat in pilot's seat in the fighter jet. From the peripheral she could see Beasly staring unseeingly at the monitor. Suddenly, he straightened up.

"There." He pointed at a column of smoke in the distance.

"I see it." Wade said her muscles tensing. "Time to man the guns."

Beasly pressed some buttons on the console. The guns in the front came to life.

Wade squinted. She saw some dark spots the size of sesame seeds appear in the distance. The spots grew larger and larger.

Wade cursed. "Swarmers!"

Beasly began shooting. The jets around her also opened fired. For every insect that was taken out two more took it's place.

"There's too many of them." Beasly said.

Wade gritted her teeth and braced herself as the first swarmer slammed into the jet. It immediately cracked the hatch. More and more swarmers began slamming into the jet. Beasly never stopped shooting but the swarmers overwhelmed them.

The alarm sounded as the red emergency lights went on.

"We're going down." Wade stated the obvious. She struggled with the controls to keep them up but the engines stopped responding.

"We need to punch out!" Beasly cried.

"Can't." Wade couldn't believe she was so calm. "There's too many swarmers out there. We'd be pizza if we eject."

Beasly looked out to see the sky darkened with EVO insects and knew she was right.

"It's been an honor." He said to Wade.

"Same." She said simply.

The jet was now plummeting to the ground. Wade closed her eyes as the ground rushed to meet them. Then the jet unexpectedly jerked to a stop. Wade's eyes snapped open.

"What happened?" She blurted out. Beasly looked at the monitor.

"It's Rex!" He gaped.

Sure enough, Rex with his turbines which he ridiculously called the Boogie Pack was holding the tail. He was straining but managed to right the jet. When they were close enough to the ground, Rex dropped them. The slid roughly several feet before stopping. Wade popped open the hatch and looked up. Rex was desperately saving as many jets as he could handle. Unfortunately, a several fell to the ground in a massive fireball. Wade winced.

"All available agents, if you are able advanced to the frontline. Meet the tanks already there." The order sounded in her ear from her communicator.

Beasly already had the large hand cannon called the boiler in his hand. He offered it to her and she accepted. He pulled another one out.

"Ready?" He asked.

"I'm already there." Wade started sprinting toward the tanks. When she saw an EVO slip past the tank, she opened fire. The EVO was blown away but more started slipping through. She saw several more soldiers join her including Beasly. They all started shooting. More soldiers came and formed a line.

The EVOs were unable to break through.

"Whoo hoo! Thrill me!"

Wade looked up to see Rex flying into the enemy side. A blur of green rushed past her. She recognized Agent Six charging through the tanks cutting anything in his way.

"Let's go!" She and the other soldiers rushed through the gaps in the tanks stopping every once in a while, to shoot down any attacking EVOs.

They slowly pushed the EVOs back. Then as if a switch was flipped, the EVOs retreated. A large red hole seemed to swallow them up as they rushed through. Then just like that, it was over.

Wade gave a sigh of relief. Looking up she saw Beasly. He looked pale. It was then she noticed blood dripping from his abdomen. He dropped to his knees.

"No!" Dropping her weapon, she ran towards him. Before he keeled over, she grabbed him. Pressing her communicator, she screamed for a medic.

Stretchers began arriving, Beasly was loaded onto the stretcher.

"Hey, hey!" Wade hissed at her partner. "You better be ok. You still have your mama's turkey to eat."

Beasly gave a weak smile before he was loaded onto the medical truck. Wade stood and watched as the truck drove away.

0o0

Beasly awoke to the bright lights of a very white room. He squinted until his eyes adjusted. The white sheets smelled of bleach and sweat. He tried to get up before grimacing. He placed his hand on the bandage on his stomach. "Shoot." He muttered.

"You're up." He turned to see Wade walking to his bed.

"Yeah, can't get rid of me that easily." He joked.

She snorted. "You need to be more careful."

"Just a flesh wound." Beasly waved carelessly.

"Dr. Holiday said you're probably going to be out a few days to recover." She said.

"Can I fly?" He asked.

"No." She saw his face fall. "But you can drive."

He looked at her with confusion.

"I took a few days off. I'm driving you back home." She said.

"That's a 12 hour drive." He protested.

"Well, then we better get started." She told him. "You did invite me, didn't you?"

She tossed him his clothes that she was holding behind her back.

"That I did." He agreed with a grin. He slipped on his pants under his sheets before pulling the shirt over his medical gown.

"And it better be the best Thanksgiving meal I've ever had. I'm missing cook's turkey roulade." She said.

"You'll forget all about that once you taste the sweet potato pie." Beasly gingerly got up. Wade gave him a hand.

"I thought you said the turkey was good." Wade interjected.

"Everything mama makes is good." He said as they slowly walked out of the medical wing.

 **Today is a day to be grateful for all we have. Grateful people are content people. If you are feeling sad, start counting things to be thankful for. I'll start with you. I am thankful for all those who read and comment on my pitiful tales. Blessings for all of you.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Merry Christmas to all of you out there! There are several of you out there who really like the Hong Kong gang. So, here's a present for those of you out there.**

 **Takes place during season 1 after Rabble.**

 **I do not own.**

Cricket put the last touches on the small silver tinsel tree. "There, doesn't that look nice." She declared.

"Yeah, that looks pretty good." Tuck agreed as he hung the last of the colored LED lights in their small living room.

Skwydd glanced uninterestedly before turning his attention back to his video game. "I don't know why you guys even bother. There's nothing special about this holiday other than stores trying to guilt you into buying crappy presents."

"You say that about every holiday." Cricket laughed.

"Well, it's true. Some egghead in some marketing firm is just exploiting us plebs." Skwydd said reaching over to a bowl of popcorn next to him.

"Lighten up and have some eggnog." Tuck said.

"That disgusting stuff? It's like drinking melted ice cream mixed with whip cream." Skwydd said disdainfully as he munched with one hand and spamming buttons on the controller with the other.

"Well, how about some spiced apple cider or hot chocolate?" Cricket offered.

"Hot chocolate? It's like 17 degrees Celsius outside." Skwydd leaned back against the couch. "Hot chocolate is for chalets in the Swiss Alps, not rooftop hideouts in Hong Kong."

"Man, you're such a Scrooge." Cricket shook her head.

"Bah, humbug." Skwydd responded sarcastically.

"Well, Tuck and I are going to the market to check out the tree." Cricket told him.

"Knock yourselves out." Skwydd shrugged. "I'd rather spend my time playing video games than fighting the Christmas crowds."

"Come with us, Skwydd. It'll be fun." Tuck urged.

"What and be jostled by the crowds and listening to endless loops of _We wish you a Merry Christmas_? No thanks." Skwydd scoffed.

"Let's go Tuck and leave Mr. Scrooge here to play his lame video games." Cricket said while pulling a hoodie over her head

Tuck shook his head and walked out with one of his bandages wrapping around the door and pulling it shut behind him.

"Please, why would I go out and walk around pretending to have good will to men." Skwydd scoffed. He reached over for another helping of popcorn but realized the bowl was empty. "Rats!"

He paused his game and got up to get some more. Looking around their makeshift kitchen he found a bag under some shelves. In his haste he got up too quickly and banged his head. "Acckkk! He cursed as he rubbed his head. He didn't realize that his vibrations made a heavy-laden top shelf unstable. The shelf suddenly gave way and the contents landed on top of Skwydd knocking him out.

0o0

Skwydd groaned as he came to. Pushing the junk off him, he slowly got up. "Ow, what hit me?" He grumbled.

"Your conscience." His voice answered. His own face appeared in front of him.

"Aaaurrgh!" He sprayed ink.

"Seriously, is that any way to treat your inner voice?" Skwydd saw himself walk through the dark mist.

"What's my inner voice doing outside of me?" He yelped.

"Just trying to bring you a little Christmas cheer you sourpuss." His inner voice said cheerfully.

"Oh man, I must have gotten hit hard. Maybe I'm dead!" Skwydd groaned and covered his face.

"If only," His doppelganger sighed. "Come on, I wanna show me something."

"Can't I just eat my popcorn and play my game?" Skwydd complained.

"Nope." He shook his head.

"Am I going to be visited by three ghosts?" Skwydd asked sarcastically.

"Haha, you wish! You're on a budget. I'm the only thing you can afford. Let's go, quit stalling." He grabbed Skwydd and

"All right, all right, stop your nagging. Wow, I'm so pushy." Skwydd followed himself to the door. His inner voice walked through the door. When Skwydd tried to do the same, he smashed his face.

His voice peaked his head back in. "Oh, you can't walk through walls. I told you we're on a budget."

"Great," Skwydd held his stinging nose. "So everyone's going to be able to see me." He opened the door to see himself smirking.

"Let's just say, be careful talking to me, otherwise everyone's gonna think you're crazy." He answered.

"I must have a concussion." Skwydd said but continued walking after himself.

The reached the streets with people bustling through the busy streets. Skwydd pulled his hoodie over his head so that people couldn't see his face.

"Ah, don't you see all the good will around you?" His voice said.

Skwydd looked around. "All I see is people shopping and going about their everyday lives."

"Yeah, but with goodwill."

"I see a guy robbing a store."

His voice turned to look. "Oh shoot, shouldn't we do something?"

"Why?"

"What do you mean why? You can't let him get away."

"Oh, I can do that very easily."

"That'd be wrong."

"Ugh, what are you my conscience? Oh wait."

"Be a hero!"

"I'm not, Rex."

"You don't have to be Rex, just be yourself."

Skwydd scowled but went over to the store just as the robber was running out. He extended his arm and the robber slammed into it. The man bounced off, hitting the floor hard, knocking him out.

"There happy?" He asked his inner voice.

Before he could reply, a lady screamed. "EVO!"

People on the streets began panicking.

"Hey, it's ok. I'm good." Skwydd said in a calm voice until he saw a wok coming at his face. Ducking he sprayed his ink for cover. When the black haze disappeared, he was gone.

Skwydd panted in an alleyway. He glared at his conscience. "Well, I've had enough of this goodwill. I'm going home."

His conscience didn't answer. Skwydd angrily pulled the hood over his head and was about to leave when he heard sniffling. He stopped and turned back toward the sound. He slowly walked toward the sound. Behind the dumpster the noise grew louder. When he peered around a small boy was rubbing his eyes crying.

He glanced at his inner voice who nodded encouragingly.

Skwydd cleared his throat. "Hey kid, what's wrong?" He asked in Chinese.

"A-ma?" The boy sniffled. He looked up at Skwydd. Skwydd expected him recoil in fear but all the boy did was repeat, "A-ma?"

"You lost your mother?" He guessed.

The boy nodded. "Scary monster came and chased us." He responded in Chinese.

"Where was the last place you saw her?" He asked. The boy pointed toward the dark side of the street.

"Of course, it would be." Skwydd muttered in English before switching back to Chinese. "Well, let's go kid. Your mom isn't going to find herself." He offered his hand and the boy took it. They walked down the street together.

As they approached the shadows, a pair of glowing red eyes flashed.

The boy made a squeak and Skwydd pushed him behind his back. The eyes narrowed as a low growl emitted from the shadows.

Skwydd shoved the boy to one side while he jumped to the other. An EVO rat called a gnasht leapt in between them.

"Hey ugly, over here!" Skwydd yelled. The gnasht snapped at Skwydd before attacking him. Skwydd blew ink into its face making it staggered back. He then swung his arm like a whip and smacked it straight across the head making it fly against the wall before sliding into a dumpster. Skwydd then slammed the lid down trapping the EVO.

"Ting!" A woman's voice shouted fearfully.

"A-ma!" The little boy ran to a woman who stood at the end of the alley way with what looked like Providence agents.

"Ooops," Skwydd took several steps back before dashing away. He ignored the Providence agents' commands to stop or the little boy's yells to come back.

He didn't stop until he reached the next block. When he finally caught his breath, he kicked the nearest wall in frustration. "So, what did I learn?" He snapped. "Oh, just that no good deed goes unpunished. Good will my…"

"And so you should have let the EVO eat the kid?" His inner voice suddenly appeared behind him.

"What? No, of course not!" He replied.

"Then, maybe you did some good?"

"Well, maybe?"

"Maybe Christmas isn't just about avarice and greed? Maybe it's about taking care of each other?"

Skwydd was silent for a second. "Nahhh, that's not it."

His inner voice threw his hands up in disgust. "Fine, stay a Scrooge! Go back to playing your video game and totally ignore anything special about this time of year."

"I will." Skwydd agreed and started off in the direction of home. The commercial area gave way to a more dilapidated area where the poor had set up temporary homes for themselves.

When he was almost back home, he was stopped by a child's voice.

"Octopus-man! Octopus-man!"

Skwydd turned around. It was the little boy from before. He and his mother ran to him.

"Do-jie, thank you!" The mother bowed. She handed him a can of ham.

Skwydd hesitantly accepted it. He bowed as the two bowed back. He watched them leave. To his surprise, he saw them walk into a makeshift shack. He looked at the can in his hand.

"Hey, wait!" He called in Chinese.

The lady poked her head out. Skwydd jogged over. "This belongs to you. I don't need anything."

The lady looked like she was about to protest when her son stuck his head out.

Skwydd smiled at him. He took a step back and blew out an ink dragon.

The boy stepped outside and clapped delightedly. Skywdd made another ink picture of a tiger. More people started coming out of their makeshift homes to watch Skwydd perform his little show. He blew ink pictures of the Hong Kong skyline, junk ships sailing, and rickshaws.

Someone handed out lychee juice boxes and someone else started passing out spiced sunflower seeds. It became a street party as someone started playing an erhu, a violin-like instrument. People were laughing and talking.

"Skwydd?"

Skwydd turned around to see the shock look on Cricket and Tuck's faces.

"Oh, hey guys, where have you been?" He asked casually.

"Well, not having as good a time as you, apparently." Tuck observed.

"What this?" Skwydd shrugged.

"Do more!" The little boy tugged oh his hoodie.

"You want more?" Skwydd blew several more ink animals while the children clapped.

0o0

That evening the three friends sat in their livingroom after a meal of noodles.

"What are you looking at?" Skwydd asked his other two friends.

Cricket grinned. "You know, you acted like a Grinch but you're actually a big softie."

"Yup, filled with creamy sentiment in the middle." Tuck agreed.

"That sounds disgusting." Skwydd snorted. "And since when was I the Grinch? I thought I was a Scrooge."

"Ha! Don't change the subject." Cricket admonished. "Here, I know it's early, but Tuck and I got you something." She pulled a rather large flat package from under the couch.

It was crudely wrapped. Skwydd ripped through the gift wrap. It was poster paper.

"It's not much but we thought you might want to, you know, keep some of your art sometimes." Tuck explained when Skwydd didn't say anything.

He was quiet for so long, Cricket was worried that they had offended him when he suddenly blew ink onto the paper.

He turned the paper around and Cricket and Tuck looked on with awe.

"Wow." Cricket breathed.

"Cool." Tuck said simply.

"I didn't know you could do that." Cricket said.

Skwydd shrugged. "Been practicing."

On the paper, was a picture of the three of them.

Skwydd looked up to see his inner voice giving the thumbs up before fading away. A slight smile tugged on his lips.

"Merry Christmas." He said softly.

 **More sappy Christmas stories for the season. Merry Christmas to all who celebrate. Happy Holidays to those who don't.**


End file.
